Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1515937
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2024 45 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY KYLE KELLY F or the final 15 months of Peter Jones' college football recruitment, the Penn State coaching staff made many at- tempts to sway the Notre Dame offensive lineman toward the Nittany Lions. Penn State head coach James Franklin even visited his high school via helicopter on Sept. 30, 2022. Jones, a three-star prospect that On3 ranks as the No. 67 interior of- fensive lineman nationally and No. 16 prospect in Pennsylva- nia in the 2024 class, commit- ted to the Fighting Irish over the Nittany Lions on Aug. 7, 2022. Still, the Penn State coaching staff went to great lengths to get the 6-foot-5, 292-pounder and Nittany Lions legacy to re- consider his decision. But with the help of his coach at Malvern (Pa.) Prep, David Gueriera, Jones remained fully committed for 16 months and signed with the Irish on Dec. 20, the early National Signing Day. "I have to tip my hat to my coach," Jones told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "He made it clear to them that this is what I want to do. … I wasn't even trying to look at that option. I made the decision and you stick by that. I'm as happy as could be about it." Jones was so proud of his Notre Dame pledge and grateful for Gueriera and the Malvern Prep community's role in his development that he went the extra mile to ensure he recognized them appropri- ately. The NCAA allows one "in-home visit" from a university head coach during De- cember of a football recruit's senior year. Instead of hosting him at his house, Jones welcomed head coach Marcus Freeman and four assistants at Malvern Prep on Dec. 11. "The way I look at it is your home isn't always your house," Jones said. "My school has been really special to me." Defensive coordinator Al Golden, of- fensive line coach Joe Rudolph and safe- ties coach Chris O'Leary all made the trip to Malvern, Pa. So did former Irish offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Gerad Parker, whom Troy Uni- versity named its head coach on Dec. 18. Jones said that Freeman and his staff's trip to Southeastern Pennsylvania was well received. "I think it went great," he said. "Teach- ers kept thanking me for that because that doesn't usually happen. You don't usually think as a teacher you're going to meet the head coach of Notre Dame. It was a real fun experience." The only thing missing was a home- coming from Jones' initial primary re- cruiter. When he pledged to the Irish on Aug. 7, 2022, Malvern, Pa., native Harry Hiestand was the program's offensive line coach. But after the 2022 season — and follow- ing former offensive coordinator Tommy Rees' departure to Alabama — Hiestand abruptly announced his retirement in February2023. Since Hiestand was Jones' future col- lege position coach, his decision to step away caused some uncertainty in Jones' college football recruitment. Still, as he had done when Penn State made its push, Jones stuck with the Irish through Ru- dolph's hiring and was happy he did. "It was an adjustment," Jones said. "I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I'm glad Coach Rudolph is the coach now. They do have a lot of similarities – you can't replace Coach Hiestand, and you can't replace Coach Rudolph. There will auto- matically be differences. "But I'd say they're both super knowl- edgeable, they both communicate well, and you can easily talk to both of them. I'm really happy to be in this position." ✦ PETER JONES OFFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-5 ∙ 292 MALVERN PREP COATESVILLE, PA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 67 16 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 33 8 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 226 14 5 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 46 14 STATISTICS • Helped lead Malvern Prep to a 29-5 record dur- ing his career, starting 29 games. NOTABLE • Earned first-team all-conference honors as a junior and senior. • Earned four varsity letters in football under head coach Dave Gueriera and four in track and field. • His brother, Kevin, was an offensive lineman at the University of Maine and team captain in 2023. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Aug. 7, 2022. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Picked the Irish over Penn State, the school most pundits believed would be the team to beat for him because he has several family connections to the school. • Recruited by offensive line coach Joe Rudolph. • Visited Notre Dame seven times, including his official visit on June 3, 2023. 2024 PROJECTION • Is likely to redshirt as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "He's a big player. He looks like Zeke Correll when he was coming out of high school but even bigger. He's a big catch for Notre Dame. "He's outstanding and can play guard or tackle. He's versatile and a powerhouse kid — and has flexibility. Jones has natural knee bend and runs well laterally. He's no doubt the best offensive line- man in the entire East. It was a big catch for them early in the cycle." Offensive Lineman Peter Jones Is Glad He Stuck With His Irish Pledge Jones pledged to Notre Dame in August 2022, prior to his junior year of high school, and he was unwavering in his commitment to the Irish. PHOTO COURTESY PETER JONES